[Solved]: You are a school social worker who is seeing an…

You are a school social worker who is seeing an influx of non-English speaking children from Guatemala. One of the children that you have met with is Ana Lopez. She is a thirteen year old from Guatemala who speaks an indigenous language, Quiche. She has been struggling in school, but has been an enthusiastic learner who always smiles and tries very hard. The third time you meet with her, you notice bruising on her arms. However, when you ask her about it she says that it was nothing and her little niece just pinched her. You also notice that she begins to seem very tired. After about four months at school, her attendance becomes very low. You attempt to schedule a meeting and after missing two you are finally able to meet with her. After expressing your concerns, she finally confides that she is in immigration proceedings and does not have status in the United States. She fled Guatemala due to her abusive father, who beat her and her mother. She was very fearful there and so she came to live with her aunt, Sofia, in the US. Sofia promised to take her in and care for her. However, the aunt has not been kind or cared for her in the way she promised she would. Sofia requires her to care for Sofia’s children, who are three and five. She has hit Ana on several occasions when she came to school instead of staying home and caring for the children. Recently, she has also forced her to work in Sofia’s store twice a week. Ana is not compensated for any of her work. She is trying to come to school and do her homework, but with her full work schedule and immigration hearings it has seemed impossible. First, analyze this situation as a social worker. Discuss the barriers to working with Ana and how you address/overcome those. How should schools respond to an increasing number of immigrant children who do not speak English and do not have the same education backgrounds as their peers. What do you do when Ana confides in you?